Steering mechanism for vehicles.



No. 723,9.76.- PAT E NTED MAR. 31, 1903.

V A. A. BALL, JR. STEERING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLIOATION FILED APB..17, 19oz. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No.- 723,976. PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903.

A. A. BALL, J2.

STEERING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES;

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17,1902.

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UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS A. BALL, J R., OF LYNN, MASSr kCl-IUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TOELII-IUTHOMSON, OF SWAMPSQOTT, MASSACHUSETTS.

STEERING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,976, dated March31, 1903.

Application filed April 17, 1902.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS A. BALL, J r., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lynn, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Steering Mechanism forVehicles, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention relates to mechanism for I0 steering vehicles, andespecially automobiles; and its object is to provide a simple device ofthis kind which is reliable in operation and is self-locking-that is tosay, the tendency of the steering-wheels to change their position byreason of irregularities in the road is resisted by the mechanism and istherefore not transmitted to the steeringhandle. The mechanism is suchthat it can be applied to any existing form of vehicle. It is light inweight, efficient in operation, pleasing in appearance, mechanicallysimple, and amply protected from dirt, grit, and other injurious-matter. Moreover, all strains are practically confined to the forwardaxle, the body and steering-handle being entirely relieved therefrom.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure '1 is a side elevation of amechanical carriage, showing a suitable mode of mounting this 0 improvedsteering device. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the front portion of therunning-gear and the steering mechanism. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, ona larger scale, of the steering mechanism. Fig. 4 is a side elevation ofthe same, partly in section, on the line 4 4,

Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the same on the line 5 5, Fig. '4.

The steering-axles 1 are provided with suitable lever-arms 2, which areconnected 40 by rods 3 in any suitable manner with a rocking oroscillating member 4 near the center of the axle. This member ispreferably composed of two legs 4, connected with a common hub 4 It isarranged to rock in a vertical plane, being attached to a horizontalshaft 5, which is rotatably supported at its front end by passingthrough a suitable hearing in the front end of a horizontal cylindricalsleeve 6, provided with an arm 7, by which it can be rigidly clamped tothe stationary axle 8, as by means of the lugs 9 and bolts 10. The

seal No. 103,357. on) model.)

shaft 5 extends centrally through a portion of said sleeve and isprovided with ribs 11, preferably screw-threads of long pitch, simi-vlar to the riflingin arifle-barrel. The interior of the sleeve 6 issimilarly rifled,.the threads running in the opposite direction to thoseon the shaft. In the annular space between the shaft and the sleeve isan actuator 12, which is, in effect, a double nut-that is to say, it isa cylindrical tube having internal ribs fitting the ribs on the shaftand external ribs fitting the threads in the sleeve. The rear end of theactuator is connected by a swivel-joint tothe front end of a rod 13,whose rear end is pivoted to a rock-arm 14 on the lower end of theupright shaft 15, which is suitably journaled in the body 16 of thevehicle and carries at its upper end the usual steeringhandle 17. Theswivel-joint is preferably a ball-and-socket joint, there being a ball18 on the end of the rod 13, which fits a cupped seat 19 in the rear endof the actuator and is secured therein by a gland 20. The joint betweenthe rod and the rock-arm should also be flexible enough to permit somevertical vibration of the rod in order to provide for the rise and fallof the body of the vehicle on its springs;

The operation of my device is as follows: By means of thesteering-handle 17 a longitudinal movement is imparted to the actuator12, which in its travel lengthwise of the sta tionary rifled sleeve-6 iscaused to revolve on its axis by the interaction of its external helicalthreads and those on the inside of the fixed sleeve. As it revolves theactuator cari'ies with it the shaft 5, whose threads intermesh withthoseon the inside of the actuator; but in addition to the rotarymovement thus imparted to the shaft there is an additional movement ofrotation given to it by reason of ,the longitudinal travel of theactuator, said movement being due to the interaction of the helicalthreads on the actuator and shaft. 5 The angular movement thus impartedto the shaft is therefore the sum of the relative angular movements ofthe actuator and sleeve and the actuator and shaft. It is thus possibleto obtain a relatively large oscillating 10o movement of the rockingmember 4 by the use of a relatively short longitudinal travel of theactuator, and yet employ screw-threads of so long pitch that they arewell within the angle of friction,'so that the transmission of strainsfrom the steering-axles to the steering-handle is entirely prevented andthe parts will remain locked in any position to which they may be movedby the steering-handle.

ltVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. In a vehicle, the combination with a stationary axle, of steeringwheels mounted thereon, a fixed sleeve secured thereto and havinginternal helical threads, a shaft rotatably supported in said sleeve andconnected with said wheels, a tubular actuator engaging with said shaftand having external threads meshed with those in the sleeve, and meansincluding a steering-handle for imparting a longitudinal movement tosaid actuator.

2. Int a vehicle, the combination with a stationary axle, ofsteeringwheels mounted thereon, a fixed sleeve secured thereto andhaving internal helical threads, a shaft rotatably supported in saidsleeve, and provided with helical threads, an actuator having internalthreads meshing with those on the shaftand external threads meshing withthose in the sleeve, means for moving the actuator longitudinally, andconnections between the shaft and the steering-wheels.

3. In a vehicle, the combination with a stationary axle, ofsteering-wheels mounted thereon, a fixed sleeve secured to said axle andhaving internal helical threads, a shaft rotatably supported in saidsleeve and having external ribs, a rocking member on the end of saidshaft, connections between said rocking member and the steering-wheels,an actuator insaid sleeve engaging with said shaft and with the threadsin said sleeve, and means for moving the actuatorlongit'udinally.

4. In a steering mechanism for vehicles, the combination with a fixedsleeve having internal helical threads, of a shaft rotatable therein andhaving similar threads running in the opposite direction, and a tubularactuator having internal threads fitting those on the shaft and externalthreads fitting those in the sleeve, all of said threads being withinthe angle of friction.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of April,1902.

AUGUSTUS A. BALL, JR. \Vitnesses:

ALEX F. MAonoNALD, DUGALD MoK. MCKILLOP.

